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I have planted two eggplant plants together (8 inch apart) in a 16 inch container as shown in the image below. Just wanted to know if this would be a problem when they grow bigger and affect the yield?

We do not have much space in our patio, and fortunately for us almost all the seeds we planted, grew into very healthy seedlings. So, we thought may be we should try two plants in one container and see if this works. And so far, the two plants next to each other have grown very rapidly compared to the ones that are still in smaller pots.

enter image description here

Yog
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Really they need a pot each - they require 12-14 inches of space or a five gallon pot each, so you'd get bigger plants and more fruits if they were in individual pots. According to this https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/eggplant/container-eggplant-plants.htm though, you can plant 2 or 3 plants in a 20 inch pot, but it doesn't make sense - 2 in a 20 inch pot is fine, three's probably a bit of a pinch if each plant needs 12-14 inches.

Bamboo
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egg plant of mineWell Yog, this should work just fine. I am worried that your plants aren't healthy-looking. What have you fertilized with? I am very glad you used potting soil! Did you put rock or gravel beneath the soil? Hope you didn't. I'd also raise the bottoms of those pots off your deck using pot feet or pieces of tile.

Your tomato is greener but is also having curled leaves. Has it been brutally hot there? Egg plants are very beautiful things. Both these plants are showing undue stress. Ask another question. These two egg plants should do fine in that pot.

stormy
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  • Thanks for your answer. My egg plant is an asian variety called 'Rhim Jhim'. I checked the plant's pictures online and they look a bit similar to my plant. I use just the potting soil throughout but I get ur point because the pot actually holds excess water at the bottom does not easily let it overflow. – Yog Jul 01 '17 at 18:01
  • Overflow or at least drain from the bottom? Punch a bigger hole in the bottoms of both pots. Have you fertilized? That is very important... – stormy Jul 01 '17 at 18:05
  • Yes I do use an inorganic fertilizer from MiracleGro and use it only as recommended on the box. May be I need to water a little bit more so it actually drains easily from the bottom. The pots does have holes but also a small reservoir at the bottom to hold some water. – Yog Jul 01 '17 at 18:18
  • Not to worry about 'inorganic' or 'organic'...Miracle Gro works just fine. Is there a way to get rid of that reservoir? Something is wrong with both plants in those same pots. You could also transplant them into basic nursery black pots, raise the bottom off the surface. I would do something soon to get drainage going. You might be experiencing root rot...rather your plants might be, grins. Or not grins. The curling shows 'drought' yet with lots of water means root rot or compromised drainage. You do not want any standing water ever! How much and how often do you water? – stormy Jul 01 '17 at 18:34
  • @stormy, what kind of soil are you using in that container, and how big is it? What did you amend the soil with? I know some people grow amazing pepper plants with loads of fruit in tiny pots (maybe 3" x 3"), but that doesn't work if you don't do it right. I haven't tried an eggplant in a small pot, but I had two Aswad eggplants do just fine in a large tote; maybe 18-22 gallons. – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Jul 02 '17 at 00:22
  • Plain old potting soil and Osmocote fert. I was busy back then. But started my peppers and tomatoes and eggplant and cucumbers in starting pots. – stormy Jul 02 '17 at 01:20